Branded Mommy

Mother's Day is a joke...

2015-05-10T10:38:00.001-07:00

I have come to the conclusion that mother's day is nothing more than a way to make moms feel bad for wanting a day off.
Being a mother of 2 girls, ages 2 and 3, is nothing short of exhaustive. Everyday starts at 6 am with a disgruntled toddler or two. Climbing into be with you, stepping on your face, rummaging through your underwear drawer or worse. Oddly enough when your not woken up abruptly you wake up in a panic thinking your children have escaped the house and are heading towards the horse pasture.
So when mother's day comes around (more like the day before), people ask "aww what are you going to do on your day off" or say "go do something special for yourself" All I can say is... "are you kidding me?!" Lol
While the gesture is appreciated the reality is moms don't get days off. At least not in the way of set schedules. We take our free time when our children's time allows and that is just fine with me.

Things aren't always as they seem. The truth behind the FDA and Handcrafted soaps...

2015-05-06T09:43:00.002-07:00

Hey everyone. I know it's been a long time since my last blog, but my news feed has been flooded this week with "FDA wants to RUIN the homemade soap makers!" Scary right?? So of course I started reading and in everything I read there wasn't anything screaming out "No Way! They can't do that!" Yet people were getting all up in arms about the FDA being driven by big money. After a few days of digging I have decided the people opposing this bill are being pretty shady... Let me lay out the facts for you all.

The bill being proposed is ‘‘Personal Care Products Safety Act’’ introduced by Senator Diane Feinstein (D-CA) and co-sponsored by Senator Susan Collins (R-ME). Click HERE to read the bill yourself

Supported by Johnson & Johnson, Unilever, Proctor & Gambler to name a few
Bill only applies to MANUFACTURES grossing more than $100,000 annually in FDA defined Cosmetics
Resale of cosmetics are not included in this bill
Companies making under $500,000 every 3 years are allowed submit simplified listings of ingredients

FEES

The lowest tier ( $500,000 - $2.5 million annual sales) 2.4% fee but no more than $250 annually
The highest tier ($5 billion or more annually) $1.1 million annually
Companies grossing less than $500,000 every 3 years are exempt from the fees

The bill is opposed by Handmade Cosmetic Alliance and Handcrafted Soap Makers Guild

Debbie May is President & CEO of Wholesale Supplies Plus and a director for HCA

WSP has a very, VERY poor track record HERE
Some comments include questionable quality "I bought cocoa butter 6/2010. Expiration on it says 6/2011. It actually went rancid by 4/2011. Cocoa butters is very stable and will keep for about five years and resist going rancid. They were probably selling old butters for super high prices."
In 2012 Debbie May claimed WSP was on track for $10 million in sales HERE

“The HCA along with other handmade cosmetic organizations support efforts to make meaningful policy changes to enhance cosmetic safety. However, subjecting small handmade cosmetic companies which operate with less than a handful of employees to onerous regulation is not only unfair and unprecedented, but creates regulatory requirements that will force businesses to close their doors, “ said Debbie May, Executive Director of the HCA.
The Handcrafted Soap Makers Guild is requesting the bill only apply to companies grossing over $2 million and registration be voluntary for companies grossing less than that.

I have reached out to Handmade Cosmetic Alliance asking for information on who their 300,000 supporters are, but have yet to hear anything back.

Now, I'm not an expert in anything and I support local businesses, products made in the USA, small farms, and pretty much anyone trying to make a living doing honest work. However, this bill really doesn't seem geared towards taking away from the little guy and to be completely honest I want to know what's in my products and where they come from regardless of how small a company is. The unfortunate reality is because of shady business practices, particular people flat out lying about a products ingredients or abilities, the FDA has had to step in and watch over people to protect those that just assume no one would ever lie about a product.

I personally support this bill and think everyone reading this should take a good long look at the facts before jumping on the propaganda wagon and if there is a bigger piece that I am missing from all this, please let me know.

Dog breeding: Old tradition meets New World Order???

2013-11-14T17:46:00.004-08:00

Dog breeding has always been an expensive hobby of mine and moving to the county I could only assume it would get worse. While I don't consider myself an expert, I am well versed in the world of the American Pit Bull Terrier. It's an amazing breed with loyalty that in my opinion far surpasses that of a German Shepherd or Collie. They have this amazing ability to just know when you are hurt or feeling down. Hence why I use them in my service dog program that trains APBT for veterans with PTSD/TBI free of charge. However, there is one down fall to the breed, their prey drive. Not towards people or children or even other dogs, but towards prey animals AKA livestock... It is just unreal how a dog so well trained for public service that preforms flawless when working turns into a complete animal when the presence of livestock comes into the picture. Now the possibility of one of my service dogs coming into contact with chickens in a mall are pretty slim it really got me thinking. How are breeders accommodating people in 2013?
I'm not talking about you little foo foo dogs that annoy the crap out of everyone with their yippy whinny barks. I'm talking about working dogs, all working dogs. Everything from the Rottie to the Jack Russel terrier. What are breeders doing now that is different from 100 years ago... Well to be honest, nothing.
Aside from mostly cosmetic and chic breeding purposes there have been no major leaps in the breeding community to create a more versatile breed of dog for this day in age. Think about... How much has society changed in the last 50 years? The last 20 years? People in today's age are getting dogs that are being bred for a different time. A time when things were slower and less crowded. You have people bringing a well bred dog into the city life and the dog is freaking out. Not because of bad owners or lack of training, but because the dog has been genetically programmed to be aware of it's surroundings in one way or another. This isn't just one or two breeds either. This is almost every breed of dog that people are having behavioral issues with. I will say that training does have some play in it but when dog after dog, breed after breed are have the same issues when living in the home of the modern family that tells me that the breeders are not doing their part to better the breed.
As a responsible dog breeder part of your job is to better the breed. So what does that mean? That means things like health testing for genetic disorders, spay/neuter dogs with serious faults, but also probably one of the most important and most often forgotten is the temperament of the dog. Each breed has a standard for temperament, but these temperament standards are in my opinion HIGHLY outdated. No where in any standard do you see things like "remain calm while cars whaling on their horns drive by" or "calmly walk through a crowd of rude people that are fearful of dogs" and quite honestly I don't think enough breeders think of things like that when looking for certain temperaments in their dogs.
So here is what I suggest. Start cross breeding. Start putting things together that have never been thought to put together. Sound crazy?? Well it sure is, but dogs wouldn't be what they are now if someone hadn't done something different. I'm sure I will catch hell from my fellow dog breeders, but even here on our farm and with our service dog program the traditional breeds just aren't cutting it anymore. We need to take our ideas of how to breed dogs and bring them to the reality of present day.

Ahhhh....Life on the farm... More like nightmare on the farm...

2013-08-24T19:20:00.001-07:00

This is our farm, 15 acres of paradise!

Or is it.....

It's been two months since we moved into our new home and let me tell you... Going from city life to country life is not easy. For so long I wanted to get back to the life I remembered as a young girl growing up with my family in West Virginia. Now I feel like I am going to lose my mind. While city life is busy it doesn't compare to life on the farm. Every day the list of things that needs to be fixed, tore down, rebuilt, or is broken keeps getting longer and longer!

But wait! That's not all! Just when you find time to relax ^^^^^ This guy decides to join you in the tub! I find myself daily thinking I am going insane. However, there is hope. This place is beautiful! Every morning I wake to the sunrise and birds singing. My girls have a home that they are going to learn about life the way I did. It's so hard making this change in our life, but I know it will be worth it.

We plan to get some cows, goats, and possible a few alpaca so we can start becoming self-reliant. It's a long road and we have already had some hard lessons since we moved, but I have faith.

The NOT SO Sweet Spot...

2013-08-06T07:29:00.001-07:00

Tattoos are so amazing... Even when they hurt there is this love for turning your body into a walking canvas. However, some pain just isn't fun. This was the case with getting my quarter sleeve, well the under arm part at least... It took 9 hours of work to finish it because I was such a baby about it. While I love it now, in the moments leading to the finish line I seriously wanted to punch my tattoo guy Ian Dykstra. The whole time he was saying "don't be such a baby". I'll admit I was being rather dramatic. But OMG!!! I't really hurt!!! Some day I really want to have a full sleeve, but when I think of how much this one hurt I'm not sure I will make it...

Help! My baby is turning into a reptile!!! Dealing with the infamous cradle cap...

2013-01-13T08:40:00.000-08:00

We have all heard of it and many of us have had to deal with it, but what is it??? Well this is what medical world says about it...

Seborrheic dermatitis

Dandruff; Seborrheic eczema; Cradle cap

Last reviewed: May 13, 2011.

Seborrheic dermatitis is a common, inflammatory skin condition that causes flaky, white to yellowish scales to form on oily areas such as the scalp or inside the ear. It can occur with or without reddened skin.

Cradle cap is the term used when seborrheic dermatitis affects the scalp of infants.

So now with all the fancy talk out of the way what do moms have to say about it??? IT SUCKS!! It makes babies fussy and miserable and can be very hard to get rid of. The good news is in most cases just changing your grooming routine will get it under control.

Our youngest had it pretty bad. At first we thought she was having an allergic reaction to the laundry soap we were using. After changing soaps it still didn't change. From her neck up she had this horrible rash that was now starting to become crusty and gross around her ears, nose and neck. We tried all kinds of lotions and nothing was helping. After some trial and error I found a way to really nip it in the butt.

First I started giving her baths daily. When I bathed her I would use her baby brush in a circular motion to exfoliate the areas where she had the rash. Note that this was not painful to her. Should you try this and your baby starts crying STOP. I also used Burt's Bees baby wash to clean her. The whole process took about 45 minutes as I wanted to make sure I removed as much of the flaky skin as possible.

After her bath I used a very heavy unscented or naturally scented lotion such as shea butter. I rubbed it into her body and also her scalp. Again, this was not painful to her so if your baby starts crying stop. I did this every day for a week and after the first day she had cleared up almost completely. After the week I cut down to every other day then every three days. This process was great for us because we avoided using drugs or unnecessary testing to diagnose and treat something that was a common childhood ailment.

Tattoos, Fighting, and Babies??? Say What?

2013-01-12T12:32:00.002-08:00

So I got the chance to chat with an interesting girl a few days ago. Her name is Amber. Interestingly enough Amber is a amateur MMA fighter. She recently took a break from MMA to bring her beautiful little girl Lola into this world. Although Amber is in the amateur league she has been sponsored in the past by names such as Vitafight, Fightchix and One5fightwear to name a few. Now with her daughter being 10 months old she is back in the gym training with Maverick Training Center. Being that I am a huge MMA fan I will be keeping an eye out and you should too if you like to see those up and coming.

Amber with Pro MMA Fighter Tyler Davis in Canada

Amber also started a really awesome network group to help people find MMA and Mommy gear from reputable sources. MMA Momma Is her blog but you can also find her on Facebook and Twitter @ambermma

Branded Mommy needs to halt her love for Red Vines :-(

2012-08-30T13:06:00.000-07:00

I just found out that the California health department has found that Red Vines black licorice has high levels of lead and is advising pregnant women as well as children have their levels tested. Ouch! Pretty scary stuff! I will admit have eaten about 4 pounds of Red Vines during this pregnancy, but thankfully my love is only for the red licorice. I still might get tested to be on the safe side...

LINK

To our Red Vines^® Consumers,

Yesterday we heard from the California Department of Public Health (CDPH) that some of our one pound (16oz.) bags of Red Vines^® Black Licorice Twists contained traces of lead that were above the acceptable level for food products.

16 oz. of Red Vines® Black Licorice Twists

Only one pound bag (16 oz.) of Red Vines^® Black Licorice Twists with a “Best Before Date” of 020413 are affected by this recall. The “Best Before Date” is located in black ink on the back of the package. American Licorice is notifying consumers not to eat this candy and asking they return to their place of purchase for a full refund.

In light of the information, we immediately separated all 16 oz. Red Vines^® Black Licorice Twists in our warehouse and have issued a public press release announcing an immediate voluntary recall of this product.

Safety is the number one priority for our company. We are taking every possible precautionary step to make this situation right, including working diligently with our retailers and public health officials in an effort to keep all Red Vines^® consumers as safe as possible.

Information on lead poisoning prevention is available from the CDPH website, including places to be screened for potential exposure.

We sincerely apologize to any consumers affected by this recall. If you have questions or concerns, please call our Consumer Response line at 866-442-2783.

-American Licorice Co.

How meconium almost took my daughter's life.

2012-08-27T18:55:00.001-07:00

When I first became pregnant I did a lot of research on all the thinks that could go wrong in an effort to prevent it from happening. Overall I thought I had worked out all the fears of labor and delivery. However, my worst fears came true when our first daughter was born. After spending 3 days in labor this beautiful life was laid upon me. A life that was quickly fading. I could see right away she was struggling to breath. She was quickly rushed to the table where my husband followed. I could not see her and I had no idea what was going on. My husband came back to me to tell me she was ok. Later I found he was completely lying. Our daughter had meconium in her lungs. This is a link for those that want to know the details of what it is, but it is basically like tar once air hits it. Four hours after delivering my daughter she was sent to Oakland Children's Hospital. I later found out that this was something that was fairly common with one exception. The nurse staff are supposed to check when your water breaks for meconium. Mine did not. So not only had did my daughter get meconium in her lungs, she had been breathing it in for hours up until her delivery. When I asked if she was going to be ok the doctor looked at me with a long stare then said, " It may be a few months before she can go home." I was crushed. The sadness I felt in that moment was the worse feeling I have ever felt in my life.
This story does have a very happy ending though... After a week of being on a breathing machine and having wires running all over her, they took everything off and she let ok a huge scream. Several hours later we were taking her home. Now at 15 months she has some seriously strong lungs and can scream so loud you won't be able to hear for at least 5 minutes. Moral of the story... If when your water breaks it is a a dark brown color. TELL YOUR DOCTOR ASAP... Had the doctor know that there was meconium in the water he would have had a special machine that would suck it out before she was able to breath in air...

Oh how my heart burns... From this stupid HEARTBURN!

2012-08-22T00:58:00.000-07:00

Heartburn during pregnancy in my opinion is the MOST annoying thing about being pregnant. It drives me crazy. I think in my entire lifetime I may have taken Tums a handful of times. While I'm pregnant, I am taking them by the handfuls.Thankfully I don't mind the taste of them. However, I have heard that some women can't stand them and are even sickened by them. To the best of my knowledge Tums are the only OC medications that you can take while you are pregnant, but you should always ask your doctor if Tums just aren't cutting it or you can't stand them.
Remember to be proactive in preventing heartburn also. If chili cheese fries gave you heartburn before you were prego more then likely it is probably gonna be even worse now that you a baby pushing your stomach up into your lungs... Now I will admit that I LOVE spicy foods, so it is no surprise for my poor husband to find me crying in the kitchen over some sliced pepper-jack cheese. It is a daily struggle... Thankfully the Tums work great for me. Foods that are highly acidic can also cause you problems. Things like lemons, oranges, and sorbets are just a few. Greasy foods, high fat foods, and just about everything on the late night fast food menu will also start to give you heartburn once your little one starts getting bigger in your belly. The good news is it will stop the day your baby is born. So hope is not lost!
The best advice I can give for this nuisance is keep your Tums handy!
Hope this helps!

Being Pregnant with Hashimoto's Disease

2012-08-07T17:06:00.000-07:00

I am not a Doctor and all statements are base on my personal experience. Always consult your doctor before making any changes to your daily routine.

In 2008 I was diagnosed with Hashimoto's disease. Hashimoto's is said to be a genetic disease of the thyroid that causes a person to have both low thyroid and high thyroid activity. This disease typically does not effect a person until their senior years, however I was diagnosed at 26 and after some minor investigating by my doctor I had been not only showing physical signs but blood test confirmed I had it since I was 21. If you are wondering, YES, I was livid with my previous doctors not catching this.
While there are many things Hashimoto's can cause the one associated with this blog is infertility. For many years I could not become pregnant and had no idea why. While it was not something I was hugely concerned about my husband and I did notice it. It wasn't until after three years of being treated for my Hashimoto's was I able to conceive.
With my first pregnancy I had no complications with my thyroid. I took my medication everyday and had blood test every 30 days to monitor it. Not a single problem. However, with my current pregnancy I have not been so lucky. Along with the typical symptoms of pregnancy I had all of them intensified by my thyroid going haywire. I even spent a day in the ER for dehydration from all the vomiting. I was tested weekly to monitor my thyroid and it seemed like they were never going to get the dosage right. It wasn't until about a month ago that my thyroid levels became more stable.
Now you are probably wondering what type of complications this can cause with pregnancy. Well there are many. Everything from a miscarriage to brain abnormalities are possible if the thyroid is left untreated during pregnancy. I know all that sounds scary, believe me I was terrified when my doctor told all the things that could go wrong. Despite all of that there is good news. Very good news. The medication used to treat my thyroid is nothing more then a hormone supplement. It gives my body the extra amount of hormones needed to function properly and for the baby to grow healthy. There are no side effects from taking my thyroid medication.
If you have Hashimoto's or any other type of thyroid dysfunction be sure to take your medication as your doctor prescribes. If you are looking for a more holistic solution to your thyroid there are many out there that have proven successful, HOWEVER, ALWAYS TALK TO YOUR DOCTOR FIRST!

Hope this Helps!

Dealing with Back Pain During Pregnancy

2012-08-06T23:46:00.000-07:00

First I have to disclose that I am not a Doctor and that all information below is based on personal experience. Always consult your Doctor before making any major changes to your daily routine.

I think that back pain is something that every women is going to experience at some point of her pregnancy. I know for me back pain was another reason for me not to have children. After being in two major car accidents I found that I had a "narrow spinal column". In other words, where most people's spinal cords would have room to swell from a traumatic injury I had none. This also affected the outlets of my spinal cord.

When I became pregnant my #1 concern was how I was going to deal with the increased pressure on my spine. I think the fact that I spent many years prior to pregnancy building a stronger core played a huge role in curbing the pain. However, I still had a lot of pain to deal with, especially in the last 2 months. In my final month the only place I could sleep semi pain free was the couch. So if you are suffering from back pain just know it is normal and your not alone.

In the beginning my pain was limited to the right side of my lower back. For that I found leaning to the left gave me the most relief. It was explained to me by my doctor as "opening up the nerve outlets more" thus relieving the pressure on them. At night I found that if I placed a thin pillow under my belly and one between my legs also helped relieve the pressure on my back. I also wore crocks and rested when I started to feel the pain taking over. If you decide to do any of this RESTING is probably one of the most important. It is easier to control your pain when it's mild then waiting until it's unbearable and out of control.

As the pain increased with my belly growing larger I did end up resorting to taking Tylenol on a regular bases to help reduce the swelling. I also preferred heat over ice, but used together they can provide pain relief. Another key factor in dealing with the pain was reducing stress. It is well known that when we stress we tense our muscle and that indirectly will increase the pain. So take a nice warm bath with the lights out and some candles lit! Works like a charm!

Things you should always look out for or avoid when it comes to back pain during your pregnancy.

Climbing or reaching for things that shift your body weight in a unnatural position
Taking any medications other then Tylenol unless advised by your doctor
Hot tubs ( while then seem like a source of relief they can cause serious complications)
Massages ( should only be done by persons with prenatal massage training)

Those are just a few things off the top of my head. If I think of more I will add them.

Hope this helps!

Skin Reaction to Ink After Delivery??

2012-08-04T23:23:00.000-07:00

This happened to me with my first pregnancy. After our daughter was born I suddenly started getting itchy welts on the areas of skin that were tattooed. It was rather painful. I was breastfeeding at the time and didn't want to use any type of steroid creams so I tried a more homeopathic approach. I found that aloe vera gave me the most relief, however I still had some scabbing in the more tender area of my tattoo. Specifically on the underside of my arm. All in all it took about 6 months for it finally heal. I am hoping this time around that I don't have the same problem.
Along with the Aloe Vera I also used Epson salt, calamine lotion, and ice packs to help reduce the itching and swelling.